Thursday, December 2, 2010

Designers Project Parade Day 2-My Project!

We have a winner!

Congrats to BillieBee (Billie Mick)

You won the loot!

Today's Designer Line up: Moi, Kari Ramsay of Fresh Cut Quilts. Thought you might want to know what I look like because I rarely post my picture anywhere!I am offering 2 design ideas, because one is not really a design, more of a fun thing to do for the kiddos. So read on, they follow the intro's.Also-- you must read on because I am having a giveaway too. And then there is the great grand prize of oodles of HG fabrics at the end of the week.

During the holidays is also the celebration of my birthday on the 5th of December. Growing up we had several traditions that were based on the holidays and my birthday. In our family everyone else was born in February or July, so it made mine a little different and was probably challenging for my Mom. It's got to be hard to buy gifts for a child for a birthday and then also for Christmas without letting either over shadow the other. Mom always made me a really fun cake. Some years it was a Snowman cake with coconut on the icing to look like snow, a few times I got a bunny rabbit too. The rabbit had coconut for fur, licorice for whiskers, and gumdrop eyes and nose. Those are the ones I remember and they were so good! Another thing mom always did was to purchase an ornament for me each year that she gave me on my birthday. I still have them, and they go on the tree every year. That made me feel very special because she didn't do that for my brother and sister. In the picture above is the ornament Mom bought me this year. It is hand blown glass and I may just hang it in my dining room window for the whole year. The tree usually went up right before or right after my birthday. Then I got to hang the new ornament on the tree. I grew up in Oregon, so we always got a fresh tree each year to decorate. And always, the week of my birthday sometimes the day before, my Dad and I went outside in the rain and put all the lights on the outside of the house. I loved hanging out with my Dad, so that was fun for us. We never got electrocuted due to rain by the way. I still love to hang out with my Dad, but he lives in Oregon and I am in Utah so we don't put lights up together anymore!My husband and I get both of our daughters ornaments for the tree each year. Now my sister gets one for each of them too and sometimes one for me as well. I get my sister's son an ornament each year too. I love that because it is as if a tradition my Mom began continues on for all of us still. Thanks Mom!Here are a few other ornaments Mom got me through the years.

My cats always find this little guy and play with him. He is made from a half of a walnut shell and a felt Santa hat. He hangs on the lowest branches and they get him off and knock him around the house. He looks a little roughed up, but he has survived the attacks. He has been on my tree every year since I can remember.

These are the other ladies in Day 2 of the Project Parade be sure to go see what they have to offer!
Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. She is simply adorable and Rosie her dog is too. Did you notice we share a name? yep we are the "2 Carrie's of Henry Glass" except mine is spelled different.and Amy Hamberlin of Katie Cupcake She is adorable too- you can tell by her company name-- but also her patterns and designs are wonderful and of course adorable like her.

Rudolph's the name, lighting the way is my game....Rudolph is my "special" word that you will need for your giveaway entry.

In honor of Rudolph, here is a recipe for Magic Reindeer Food:This helps the reindeer keep their strength all night and helps them fly!
2 Tablespoons Oats (not sure if the reindeer like the flavored kind- but it should be dry not cooked!)
Generous Sprinkles of Glitter
8" square of Christmas fabric Plastic Wrap and ribbon to tie it with.
Print up the Tag here
Place a tablespoon of oatmeal and a few sprinkles of colored sparkles on the plastic wrap. Twist the Plastic Wrap tightly and place in the center of material. Twist and tie together with a piece of ribbon. To each attach the tag. Remind the parents to let their children sprinkle the "food" on the lawn before putting the children to bed. If you get snow at Christmas, take a broom out later when the kids are sleeping and mess up the snow a little. The broom handle stuck down into the snow in several places makes it look like hoofs were stomping about.PDF version with tagAlong with the Magic reindeer food recipe I came up with this little idea.Inspired by the ridiculous amount of snow we have received here in the last 3 weeks, I have been feeling a little "snowed in". So I called this candle mat the Snowed Inn Candle Mat- and because I think it is fit for an Inn somewhere cold and snowy, with fireplaces roaring, and candles lit in case the power goes out. That was quite a run-on sentence, but I think you get my vision.Here is the link to the instructions.Snowed Inn Candle Mat

Still looking for the giveaway info? You found it. Hopefully you enjoyed my offerings for the Parade and my ramblings on holidays past traditions.For my giveaway one of you will receive my Jolly Stockings Block of the month Pattern, a pack of Clovers Black Gold Applique needles-- these are divine needles that glide through the fabric so nicely, and a Flower Frill Template from Clover.

Frill is the newest offering from the people over at Clover and they have provided me with one to try and one to giveaway. My first attempt at it is not worth photographing. It was really a user issue, the template works fine. So I need to play more with it, but it is as easy as pie to use! It makes really cute embellishments and is a nice alternative to making yarn pom poms. Clover has a few free pattern ideas that are downloadable for the Frill on their website.

So leave a comment about your favorite holiday tradition-- we all love reading these! That will enter you, but leave me a way to contact you. If there is no way to contact you I will have to choose someone else. Follow me on my blog, Twitter, or Facebook and get another entry, but let me know you follow me and where. I am only giving a max of two entries per person--otherwise I get too confused to keep up!

379 comments:

Hi the usual Christmas tradition is to play Uno (card game) after our meal because everyone is to full to move much the young ones love this and my 22 year old son still plays and love it Merry Christmas ttfn Nicole

Love your tradition of giving ornaments. It is a real keepsake that lasts from year to year. Thanks for sharing your pattern and the recipe for "Reindeer Food". I'll be sure to give to the two children that I spend Christmas Eve with. Merry Christmas.

My favorite Christmas tradition filling the stockings after everyone has gone to bed. The house is quiet and the lights are still lit on the tree. I stop and think of all my blessings. It truly is a special time. I love hearing about your cat and the ornament. This is our second year with cats and a tree. Last year they were 3 months old and you can imagine the chaos we had. Hopefully this year will be better. I will be following you on Facebook also!

After my children have gone to be my DH and I have some hot cocoa and take a picture of the tree and gifts - all lit up and pretty and the stockings hung and filled! Have quiet time to ourselves - its lovely! Thanks for the snow in pattern and the lovely giveaway!

I'm a new reader to your blog! Thanks for great suggestions and pattern. In order to keep the kids from "fading" on Christmas morning (back when they were little) was to have lots of little trinkets in their stockings that were opened right away. Then - breakfast casserole - then presents. Lots of energy and time to enjoy the morning.

Every year I look forward to getting out my snowmen collection. It just isn't the holidays until the house if filled with them! And the best part is they can stay up all winter! Thank you for your pattern!bjlehatcomcastdotnet

Kari, Thanks so much for the great free patterns. I love the Reindeer food idea, gonna have to pass that one on to my daughter for the younger grand babies! The Snowed Inn Candle mat is perfect for us too...so much snow and oh so cold here too. UGH! Well, our favorite Christmas tradition was to gather our favorite snacks, gather around the TV on Christmas Eve and watch "A Christmas Carol". That lasted through raising my daughters and then raising my two oldest Grandsons, now 22 and 17 and no longer living here. My hubby and I will continue on though because we love the movie, though the snacks have changed since we started a heart healthy lifestyle after his heart attack 2 years ago...now instead of chips and dip, popcorn, sodas, etc, it's carrot stix (no dip) and just maybe some whole grain crackers with light 'Laughing Cow Cheese' on them LOL. But then, it IS for Christmas Eve so we do cheat just a bit *wink*. Thanks so much for sharing your traditions with us and for the chance to win some great gifts in your giveaway. Hugs...

My favorite Christmas memories started with my mom and dad who are both gone now. We baked lots of cookies and made a 5# fudge recipe. My dad would shell the nuts and mom and I would bake. I did the same thing with my kids when they were old enough to stand on a chair by the table. Now baking happens with my grandchildren and my brothers children. It is precious time. I love the candle mat. Thank you

Our Christmas tradition has always been to make the special sugar cookies using cookie cutters and frosting in a dozen colors...not to mention the little decorations we add for embellishment! Such fun!Vanessa in Oklahomapineneedles4@yahoo.comwww.pineneedles4.wordpress.com

My sister was born Dec. 21st and my brother Dec. 24th. My parents had 8 kids and alot on their minds around the holidays. One year my parents went to bed on December 21st when my Mom all of a sudden realized it was my sister's birthday and she had completely forgotten!! Luckily my sister was still very young and they were able to celebrate the next day and Sissy was none the wiser :D

Even though it has been a short tradition, I really enjoy taking part in the Reindeer Run in town. Lots of christmassy dressed up runners and walkers, Toys for Tots support and just a different way of getting into the Christmas spirit outdoors! Thanks so much for the giveaway!

We have a wooden Advent calendar that gets filled with little stocking stuffer items for the month. My kids really enjoy these little prizes more than the chocolate calendars. It is the first thing they go to each morning. There is always a little ornament in one of the days which they really like to receive, then unwrap again each year as we decorate the tree. Enjoy the season!

Thankyou so much for the gorgeous candle mat pattern, I can't wait to try my hand at making one! We don't have many strict Christmas traditions other than spending it with family and those we love, that is definitely the very best part of Christmas!

We start each Christmas morning with a homemade coffeecake....I can remember my mom serving it when I was younger. Cinnamon and pecans are the topping and the house always smells so welcoming. Thank you for the pattern and giveaway.

My family opens all the wrapped presents on Christmas Eve to be extra special sure there is room for Santa to leave his surprises. We eat grilled steaks on Christmas Eve and save the turkey and fixings for a late Christmas afternoon meal. Thanks for being part of the blog hop. Happy qu8lting.

We enjoy getting out all the old ornaments when we decorate the tree. Its fun to remember where we got the ornaments or who gave them to us. We still put up ornaments that our kids made back when they were in grade school. I love your Jolly Stockings pattern. Thanks for being part of the Blog Parade.

I only have one Christmas tradition and that is to put up my nativity scene and sit in the semi dark and drink my coffee- early morning and late at night and think about the true meaning of Christmas. Thanks for the fun giveaways.

Thanks for sharing in the Holiday Project Parade. Love the candle mat and the grandkids will love the reindeer feed. Thanks for sharing. We always take a picture of the tree Christmas eve before we get a bit of shut eye and again after we open the gifts. Hopping to be your lucky winner....I would be doing a happy dance. Wishing you Good Health, Happiness, and Joy and may 2011 be a GREAT year for you and yours.

One of our favorite holiday traditions is decorating the tree with the kids. We always sing songs and decorate the tree together. We make one hand made ornament each year to add to the tree. It's so fun to look at all the handmade ornaments the kids have made through the years. It brings back a lot of memories. I love it. Thanks for the wonderful giveaway!!!

I'm a follower on Facebook. When my son was little I followed the Austrian tradition of setting up the tree on the 23rd. He thought the elves brought (they also decorated his room w/something new every night...if he was good!) This is such a sweet pattern. I love to keep my snowmen and the evergreens (fake) out for the winter and this will be able to stay out as well. Now, if I could find a candle holder like yours! Thank you so much for creating this for us.SuzK

Happy Birthday! We're a family of Christms Birthdays here too! DH is 5 days before and my son and I are 5 days after. We do the ornament every year too. Then when they flew when the kids left the nest... they took thier own collection with them, thus thier christmas memories. I'm following your blog and facebook. The snowman is too cute. I use the clover yo-yo and now the flower frill and needles would be perfect for Santa to put in my stocking. Thank you for Sharing

My favorite holiday tradition is cookie baking. My mom always calls me her cookie baker, and that has moved on to my house now. We always bake LOTS of cookies. It was great when I worked, I gave them as gifts. now that I don't work, not so great as there are WAY too many cookies laying around the house tempting me.

I run a charity and Christmas is so busy for me I really worried about traditions for my daughter. I decided we had to bake cookies every year. Some years we were baking them on Christmas day. The tradition she held on to is the right one. Help someone in need.I've been in love with that pattern since the first time I saw it. Thanks for the chance.

My favorite holiday tradition is brunch on Christmas day with all my kids and grandchildren. tThe house is quiet now in the AM, everyone grown and gone but my husband and I enjoy the first cup of coffee by the tree lights and a sweet. And by noon all the families roll in, kids happy and glowing and full of chatter! Brunch is full of favorite foods, laughter and joy!

We have so many Christmas traditions but one I will share is our homemade ornament exchange. Every year all the women in our family make a homemade ornament for all the others. On Christmas day we exchange them. It is fun to see what each came up with. Thanks for a chance to win!

What a cute little candle mat...and an absolutely adorable candle holder too! Thanks for the pattern. I've always put electric candles in the windows...told my kids they were there so Santa could find his way. The kids have grown up, but the candles are still there. I follow your blog on my Windows Live feed and on Facebook too. Thanks for doing the giveaway!

I am a follower!! Our holiday traditions include going to many band concerts over the years for our daughters, and also watching them in the church Christmas programs where they were angels, sheep, or whatever. Now that my girls are grown up, we love to watch other parents watching their little angels!

I totally understand the issues with having a December birthday. Mine is the 21st, and I'm usually too busy preparing for Christmas to really take time to appreciate my birthday! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity...dsb448@att.net

New follower here too! I started the same ornament tradition for my own daughter. I got her a new ornament every year. Now that she's a little older (she's 5), I'm going to start letting her pick it out. We are actually headed to the store tomorrow to do just that!

Thanks for the reindeer food, and candle mat pattern. Love reading the holiday traditions. My favorite tradition is getting together with aunts, nieces and children to make Christmas candy and cookies. I am following you on my blog. lizzieann59@aol.com

What a wonderful tradition! My favorite tradition is one I can't do at the moment, and that is to go to Ballet West's performance of the Nutcracker in Salt Lake City.My parents would take us every year.We have been to one here in Dallas but it's just not the same.My mom still takes all the grandkids that are in town and age 8 and up.

On Christmas (and Thanksgiving) all the 4 leg fur babies visiting my home get a turkey dinner, complete with dressing, potatoes and gravy. That triptophan will put the 4 legs to sleep as easily as the 2 legs. We eat at 2:00, and then everyone takes a nap! Then we get up and watch the Christmas Story and National Lampoon's Christmas movies -- over and over, loL!

Like many families, we add a new ornament or two each year. I have two ornaments my mother bought the year I was born. I felt sad for a long time that our tree held the story of my life, and there was nothing there of my husbands. A few years ago his mother had a big clean out, and we received a box with ornaments from his family. We're getting ready to decorate our tree, and I'm looking forward to pulling out each ornament. I'm looking forward to reminiscing about Christmases past, and looking forward to future Christmases.

My birthday is also in December ---so I also experienced a little different celebration. We give our children (and now our grandchildren) ornaments each year---try to make them myself, but it doesn't always work out.quiltschon@att.net

Happy Early Birthday.What special memories you must have with all the ornaments. I have been giving my kids one each year since they were little too.Great little projects you shared. thanks.and thanks for the giveaway.

I think my favorite holiday tradition involves ornaments also.I make a yearly ornament for my kids -trying to make it current and pertinent each year. Have done this since they were babies, and they are now 30 and 33.Thanks for the great projects!

We have two birthdays in Dec. in our house and it is very hard to keep them separate! I call the birthdays a zone (the 12th - 18th) and then we concentrate on Christmas! One turns 60 this year...the other 21. Big birthdays!

I love the ornament gift. I recently had my own birthday and as I asked about birthday memories I was surprised that those that celebrated in December had horror stories of Birthdays sucked into the holiday celebrations. I'm so happy to hear a great birthday tale. Thanks!

Thank you for sharing your Christmas traditions with us! I love reading those memories! Our tradition is similar to yours-I buy an ornament each year for my grandchildren, and I always prepare a meal on Christmas Eve for everyone so that they don't have to cook! So much to do on Christmas Eve and no time if you are having to cook! My meal is something simple, a one dish meal and a dessert! Your Snowed Inn mat is adorable! I will definitely be making this one-may make one for every season!! Thank you!!

The entire Holiday Season is my favorite. I love baking with my kids, decorating our tree, visiting the store, carolling in the park. It is such a wonderful, magical time of year. My email is birdena@sympatico.ca. I also follow you on facebook.

I gave ornaments to my kids every year that they now have on their trees and now give them to the granddaughters. It is so fun to remember what was going on when they got them! Thank you for the opportunity to win.Mary

On Christmas Eve we have a GAMES Night...playing the latest board game or card game. We keep our eyes open for a new game all year. Because there are so many of us we have a dining room game and a kitchen game and then rotate!! Such fun!Thanks for the chance to win you give away!! Take care!Paulette

Opening one present on Christmas Eve has been a tradition for years. My Mom always wanted us to open more, but Dad stood firm with only one. Our kids and their families have also carried on this tradition. Love your patterns, ideas and creativity. Thanks for sharing!

We share a birthday! The house was never decorated for Christmas before my birthday when I was younger and I appreciated not having my day over-looked. BUT now that I'm so much older, with grown children and grandkids often Christmas decorating starts before my birthday. I consider it a gift to myself as I will take a day or two of vacation to decorate our home for the holidays. I love the Christmas Season and decorating for the holiday and sharing this enthusiasm with family and friends is my favorite of the season. The candle mat is wonderful. Hopefully, I will have time to make one before the Christmas. Thanks!

I love your tradition of getting and receiving Christmas ornaments each year. What a bundle of memories!

My holiday tradition is with my husband's family. On the weekend after Thanksgiving, we all bundle into our cars and head out to the Christmas tree farms. We trudge around in the fields finding the perfect trees, cut them down and then all head home to build a nice warm fire, eat homemade soup and cookies, and play cards or games in front of the fireplace. It's a special day and I look forward to it every year!

Thanks for the cute pattern for the candle mat, and the awesome give away, too. I've signed up to follow your blog! :o)

Every year, my mother gives me a personalized calendars that has photographs of our family and the past years events. The calendars are up all year for everyone to enjoy, and I keep small entries written in the calendar (i.e. appts, weather conditions, birthdays, etc). I have kept everyone of my calendars, and I place the past years into a basket during the holidays to share with others on our past family events. Thanks for sharing your ideas and for the give away!

I also gave my three children a Christmas ornament each year as they were growing up. Now I'm continuing this tradition with my grandson. It's fun to pick out an ornament that reflects his main interest from the year but I'm having trouble this time finding a pirate ornament. He is obsessed with Captain Jack Sparrow at the moment.

I enjoyed reading about your ornaments; I also give ornaments each year to my daughters...attaching one to a special gift and placing it under the tree. They always spot the new ornament waiting for them. We also have a nice Christmas Eve meal and use my collection of snowman plates. It's always a festive time. I'd love to win your giveaway.

We always have a huge family get together on Christmas eve. It's been the family tradition in my hubby's family since his Grandmother started it 50 years ago. Now his Mom has been doing it. There are always lots of people and lots of good food. Thanks for participating in the blog hop :-) And thanks for the giveaway!

Thanks for participating in the blog hop and sharing your holiday with us! My little ones will have fun with the Magic Reindeer food! Hopefully we'll have snow for Christmas!

My favorite holiday tradition is our Tree Decorating party. I get the tree ready ahead of time with the lights on it. Then I make snacks, we put on Christmas music and get out all the ornaments. I sit back and relax and watch the little ones decorate the tree. When they are done they are so pleased and proudly pose for pictures in front of the tree. I enjoy looking at the pictures from year to year. As they get older the ornaments are more evenly spread out and go higher up the tree but their first efforts are my very favorites! Waaah! Now I'm getting all misty!

I can relate to your December birthday, the 5th is our anniversary, 38 this year and the 27 of Dec is my birthday. Believe my its better before that after. As my children were growing up we celebrated St. Nicholas day on the 6th and that is still their favorite tradition to do with their children too. Setting out a shoe the night before and finding some sweet treats and other little items. Really helps calm the pre Christmas anxiety for the kiddos. Thanks for your blog. MJL

I love the reindeer food idea! Too cute! AND the candle mat! A favorite Christmas tradition is making Swedish sausage for our smorgasbord every Christmas Eve - we still make it EVERY year! I have given my two girls (now 27 & 29) a Christmas ornament EVERY year since they were born - still do! Your prizes are wonderful!

I luv your traditions....we used to have 'rules' about who was responsible for decorating what on our tree - men did the lights - ladies did the decorations (and my brother had to do the tinsel - he thought he was the only one who could do it 'right')hugsarlene f

We have several family traditions--cutting down a fresh christmas tree, driving around to see lights/decorations, each of the kids get a new ornament each year, and my favorite is making english toffee for everyone!

A fun tradition that we do in our family is celebrate Sinter Klaas Day in honor of one of my sons who spent two years in the Netherlands. We fill the wooden shoes and have cookies and chocolate coins and when I can get them we have the chocolate letters.

My husband's birthday is the 5th of December too, and we always put up our tree on that day as well. Our tree is decorated with ornaments we buy on our vacations from places we visit. It's a great way to have a collection that doesn't take up a lot of space all year long. Loved your candle mat!

I've made the "reindeer" Food before. I gave my children all a new ornament or set of them for Christmas and they got it when we put up the tree. They all put theirs on their trees now in their own homes. And I add to the Grandchildrens and theirs each year now, but I make them and have fun choosing a fun new one for them. This year that is the "homemade" part of their gift.

My favorite tradition is having a huge seafood feast with my parents and brother for our family Christmas. I also cherish that my brother and I would always exchange presents first. We fought like cats and dogs growing up but it just symbolized we still really liked each other after all.

We have so many Christmas traditions so it would be hard to pick just one, but one that comes to mind is taking the grandkids out to view the neighborhood Christmas lights. We follow that with a lovely dinner.

You choices for sharing are lovely. I'll have to try that reindeer food and see how it works.

Really enjoyed reading your post - I especially like the Christmas ornament tradition your Mom started with you. My hubby always makes Christmas Eve dinner. He makes it really special. He often would make a special printed menu to post including all the dishes he planned to make. One year we each made a special meal during the holidays (there are 4 of us - my 2 sons also each planned and made a meal). Lots of food that year!

Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas! If you can believe it, in my husband's family THREE babies were all due this year on December 5th. The first has been born already but there are still lwo left to go. I also have a birthday in December the 19th and my second son was born Dec. 21st. Makes for a very busy holiday season! I absolutely LOVE your Jolly Stockings block of the month it is adorable. Thanks for the chance to enter and thanks for sharing your Christmas memories:)

My favorite holiday tradition is that I give each of the kids an ornament each year so when they are out on their own, they will not have a bare tree. Thank you for the wonderful candle mat pattern. It is very cute. Take care and God bless, Cory

December is a big birthday month for our family as well. My son's is December 5, just like yours and it was always hard not to lump the birthday and Christmas together. Love your ornaments. I too, have a walnut mouse made by my mother-in-law many years ago. Thanks for the Snowed Inn candle mat pattern and the giveaway.

Thank you for the pattern and sharing your favorite holiday traditions. My favorite Christmas tradition as a child, and now with my own family is on Christmas Eve, to read the Nativity story from the Bible and then the kids each get to open up one present. Merry Christmas!

Great giveaway Kari! Thanks so much for the cute candle mat pattern. I just love all the Christmas decorations and overdo it in that area. I don't know if this counts as a tradition, but it's my favorite.

Thank you - especially for the Magic Reindeer Food. What a wonderful little tradition to have for the little ones. The candle mat is sweet and I love working with yo yos. My tradition is like yours because I too purchase ornaments. I try to gear it to what they are or what they are like. My youngest son gets a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey relate ornament.

My favourite Christmas tradition is baking and decorating a gingerbread house. It is an extra special tradition now because I have two little helpers, my three year old twin granddaughers. They even asked me during the summer when we were going to make our gingerbread house. Thank you for the reindeer recipe which the girls and I will make and for the lovely candle mat pattern. Thank you also for the generous giveaway.

What a lovely post! I enjoyed reading how your family worked around a Dec. birthday. If ever I get a Dec grandbaby, I will start that tradition of an ornament every year. I've got 10 grandbabies so far and no Dec births. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your candlemat with yoyos..this is going on my todo list almost immediately! A family tradition is decorating Christmas cookies together every year. My mom started that back in the 60's and I've done it for 30 yrs with my kids. Now, it looks like if we celebrate Thanksgiving together, we decorate cookies the next day..fun fun with the grands.

I'm new to your blog and will be returning often. We love to bake our yummy sour cream sugar cookie recipe with a touch of lemon flavoring. Taking cookies to friends and neighbors has always been a fun tradition that my children continue doing with their children. Happy birthday!

My daughter gets an ornament each year, and it always reflects an interest she held throughout the year. This year she wants the most expensive Hallmark ornament...a Star Trek one with lights and music. I am having a really hard time spending $30 on an ornament!

Around Christmas my hubs, son and I are ready to relax and forget about the outside world awhile. We light the tree, the fireplace and cuddle on the couch with hot chocolate to watch holiday movies for a couple of days. Literally staying in our jammies and cooking up our favorite snacks and appetizers. It's a great way for us to regroup and stay together. When we're ready to get back out we spend some time roving neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights or driving thru special events like Callaway Gardens.

My birthday is also in December and as a child Rudolph usually would be on TV for my birthday so it was a tradition to watch it. As an adult it is our tradition to put up the Christmas tree for my birthday.

We also have given our children a new Christmas ornament every year. Now that the children are grown we give our grandchildren an ornament each year as we continue the tradition. We love to keep up traditions.

When my kids were small I always read "Polar Express" to them on Christmas eve and they rang the bell that came with the book. Sometimes I wish they were small again, it was such fun! Thank you for the giveaway, it would be sew nice to win! Merry Christmas!

Love the snow mat pattern. I always gave each of my 5 childred an ornament each year that pertained to something specail for them that year. When they left home, they got to take the ornaments with them. My extended family has an ornament exchange when we get together for Christmas. Our last one there were 31 of us & there was a lot of oohing, aahing & stealing going on. Our kids have great memories of doing that & finding just the right ornament to exchange.

Love seeing your ornaments! My sister has the same birthday, the 5th of December too!Our tradition is to get in the car on Christmas Eve and ride around looking at the Christmas lights and then coming back home and opening our gifts from each other.

What great projects and prizes there are today! My favorite holiday tradition is watching my granddaughter open her presents on Christmas Day. The faster the better is her motto. Unfortunately the icy, snowy weather will keep us from traveling to be with her this year. She is such a sweetheart! I love you little girl!